The present invention relates to a chassis for vehicles, in particular such a chassis made of aluminum alloy, having longitudinal beams and, penetrating these, transverse beams, and also having an outer frame the whole being to accommodate flooring running in the longitudinal direction.
Known aluminum chassis of this kind feature as the main component parts two longitudinal beams and a number of transverse beams which are in the form of extruded sections of round cross-section spaced a suitable distance from each other; the said transverse sections hold the longitudinal beams together and, with an intermediate supporting surface of sections clipped onto them, accommodate and support the longitudinally mounted flooring sections.
In particular in the case of chassis for lighter vehicles the longitudinal sections of the outer frame are simultaneously the longitudinal beams, and the transverse beams are joined end-on. The outer frame also features two transverse sections. This is described as a chassis with outer-lying load-bearing frame.
In the case of chassis of another type, in particular for heavy vehicles, there are special longitudinal beams which act as the main longitudinal supports and are positioned a distance from the longitudinal sides of the chassis; in that case the outer frame is formed by two special longitudinal frame sections and two transverse sections. The latter sections pass through openings made in the web of the longitudinal beams, such that their ends meet the longitudinal sections of the outer frame. This is known as a chassis with inner-lying load-bearing frame.
With both kinds of aluminum chassis it was normal up to now--as with steel chassis--to join the longitudinal and transverse beams and the longitudinal and transverse sections of the frame by welding and namely such that the weld beads ran round the transverse beams.
Although such welded aluminum chassis were satisfactory from the point of view of strength, it has been found that in practice they give rise to some difficulties. First, the welds between the ends of the transverse beams and the outer frame sections detract from the appearance of the visible, outermost side of these sections. Further, the amount of welding required is time-consuming. In particular, however, if the vehicle is damaged e.g. in an accident, then the repair work is complicated and very time-consuming.
The object of the present invention is therefore to develop a new type of construction for an aluminum chassis such that the joining of the transverse beams to the longitudinal beams and sections of the frame is made easier and likewise such that the repair work needed after traffic accidents is also easier.